The Legend of Kat

There weren't always dragons in the Valley. The town was terrified by the sightings and encounters with these creatures. I was informed that one of the innkeepers was killed by a fire dragon last week. I was not sure if this fire dragon was one of the shifters. The shifters were the dragons who were able to transform into humans. Some did not even know that they were shifters. These folks had to find out the hard way when they destroyed their loved ones. I found it outlandish that one could be born as a human, and then turn into a dragon later in life.

Folks called me Kat. I was the only daughter of a restaurant owner, and we lived in a town called Taicedonia. This town was also called the Valley because we inhabited within the mountains of Gaia. I never really fit in within the community. I seemed enigmatic to the whole town. People thought that I was a crazy girl with no soul. I was so different from the people of Taicedonia including my father and my two older brothers, Marco and Darian. My mother died when I was 12 years old. Not many believed that I had the same blood as my father and my brothers. And there were very few who believed that I was one of the shifters. I had the mark of a dragon’s eye on the left side of my neck. That was the reason why. Others believed that I was destined to be a dragon hunter. No one knew the truth about the mark… not even me.

The year was 3022 when I became the town’s dragon hunter. I was only 19 years old. Many were extremely judgmental. They doubted that I had what it took to be a dragon hunter. They never considered me a savior. I took pride in my duties, and I brushed off their harsh convictions. I was not trying to be a savior for Taicedonia. These hunts were driven by my anger. They were driven by vengeance. I did not lose my mother to an illness or an unexpected accident. A vicious fire dragon killed her. There were so many fire dragons in existence, and I made it my mission to find the one that killed my mother.

As I walked for hours searching for these horrific creatures, I felt the penetrating heat from the bright, blazing sun. The excessive amount of sweat on my face was marginally burning my creamy jade eyes. I took a few sips of water from my metal canister to thwart dehydration. I looked down to watch out for snakes. I could see the bloodstain on my obsidian pocket combat boots. The bloodstain came from the dead bodies I found during my hunts. These were also victims of the fire dragons.

Unexpectedly, I heard a strident screech in the sky. I looked up and saw one of the dragons. I wasted no time as I removed my crossbow from my back and aimed at the dragon. I stared carefully and noticed the distinctive appearance. This dragon was not red at all. It was green with a blue spine. This was an earth dragon. After that realization, I lowered my crossbow.

“Why didn’t you shoot it?” Right away, I recognized that familiar male voice. I knew who was behind me.

I reluctantly turned around, and there was Marco walking toward me with a shameful look. Marco was always the pushy brother. He was a bully when we were younger. He became even more exasperating ever since I decided to hunt dragons.

“It’s an earth dragon, Marco,” I responded.

Marco unleashed an imperious laugh and arrogantly folded his arms. “A dragon is a dragon, little sister.”

“I don’t think we have the earth dragons to worry about. Also, the water dragons have saved lives. The fire dragons and the storm dragons are the ones we have to look out for.”

“Have you met an earth dragon or a water dragon?”

I was stumped when he asked me that. I wanted him to believe what I said was true. “Well, no.”

“So how do you know that the earth dragons and water dragons won’t hurt us?”

I innocently shrugged my shoulders. “I’ve heard stories.”

Marco pressed his hand on my shoulder and spoke to me as if I was a foolish child. “Yes. They were stories. Are you a dragon hunter or not?”

I was appalled that he asked me a ridiculous question. “Of course, I’m a dragon hunter. Do you see what I am doing?”

“Then, you should know what side you’re on, Kat.” He removed his hand from my shoulder and slowly walked away from me. “Maybe some of the folks are right. Maybe you are a shifter.”

I angrily sneered at Marco and clenched tighter on my crossbow. I wanted so badly to point it at him and fire. “I am not a shifter, Marco. I don’t care what they said about me.”

Marco chuckled as he was heading back to the town.

I could not help but worry about the idea of me being a shifter. I was afraid and a bit discouraged. Could he be right? I feared that was what the mark on my neck meant. The mark of a dragon’s eye. I did not want to think about it. I wanted to focus on hunting. I wanted to avenge my mother’s death.